Generally speaking, shooting targets are objects in various forms and shapes that are used for pistol, rifle, shotgun and other shooting sports, as well as in darts, target archery, crossbow shooting and other non-firearm related sports. The center is often called the bullseye. Targets can for instance be made of paper, rubber or steel. There are also electronic targets that electronically can provide the shooter with precise feedback of the shot placement. Civilian targets are usually made of paper or a plastic corflute, sometimes with a canvas or hessian back on the larger long-range types. Most competitive targets are a solid black circle on a white background. The black circle may have scoring rings. Targets of other shapes may also be used, like for use with pistol (hand gun) target shooting. Reactive targets, or targets that move when struck, allow shooters to easily identify bullet strikes. This allows shooters to improve their skills by quickly being able to compare their aiming point and where the actual bullet impacted the target. Other target types include a metal plate that is knocked over by the bullet such as in the air rifle sport of field target or handgun discipline of IPSC, and stationary metal plates of scaled animal outlines on which bullet strikes mark as well as those that mark the paint which is painted over again after scoring.
A shooting range, firing range or gun range is a specialized facility designed for firearms qualifications, training or practice. Indoor shooting ranges typically have paper targets that are attached on a retrieval system that can be moved back and forth in the range for longer and shorter practice, and for retrieval, inspection and replacement of the target.
A shooting gallery, on the other hand, is a recreational shooting facility with very low-powered guns, often located within amusement parks, arcades, carnivals or fairgrounds that provide games and entertainments for the visiting crowd. Shooting galleries typically have reactive targets that spin or provide immediate feedback to the shooter of a hit or miss. This immediate feedback is not only beneficial to teaching accuracy but is also entertaining to the shooter. However, these entertaining reactive targets are designed for the low-powered guns of shooting galleries and thus cannot be used in shooting ranges or outside with real weapons or firearms. As such, there is clearly a need to provide a reactive shooting target that can be used in shooting ranges or outside with real weapons to provide immediate feedback of accuracy that is also fun and entertaining to use.
The instant disclosure may be designed to address certain aspects of the needs and/or problems discussed above by providing a self-healing reactive shooting target.